cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Compatible third party lenses for R7

lovetoshoot2023
Contributor

I’m coming from the Sony A mount world where I primarily used 2 Tamron products: an 18-270 and a 150-600mm lens. After purchasing my R7 I have become disappointed by the lack of compatible third party products. What lenses would you suggest that would be like the ones I used with my Sony camera?

2 ACCEPTED SOLUTIONS

Check out Canon's History of Lens Mounts which includes a short video on the new RF mount.

--
Ricky

Camera: EOS 5D IV, EF 50mm f/1.2L, EF 135mm f/2L
Lighting: Profoto Lights & Modifiers

View solution in original post

Thanks for your informative response!  As I see you have been well served by Ricky's video reference on the thinking behind the RF mount.

For your situation, from the point of producing an 8x10 calendar, almost any reputable brand will work for your purposes.  That said, I would honestly considering the following combination of lenses:
RF-S 18-150 IS USM lens.   A great walk-around unit that has a fast and silent ultra-sonic focusing system, Image stabilization that will work with that of the camera (a good reason for going with the Canon brand) and is very light and extremely compact, making it a very convenient lens to leave on your R7.  There is a reason Canon created this unit as a kit lens for the R7 and R10 bodies.   See Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM Review & Sample Images by Ken Rockwell

I can personally recommend the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary lens for EF mount. I have not owned Tamron's later version but my respected colleague Ernie (Ebiggs1) has positive things to say about it.  For a review of the lens and comparison of the two you might want to watch: 
(21) Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 OS Contemporary Super Telephoto Review - YouTube

Use it via the adapter (which works flawlessly) for your wildlife activities and you essentially have the range from 18mm to 600mm covered.  If you really want to stick with a 3rd party lens you can do so by getting one with an EF mount and using the Canon EF-RF adapter.


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

View solution in original post

20 REPLIES 20


@Peak-kid wrote:

You are talking absolute rubbish about Duade. He mentioned that inconvenience of switching IS off while mounting on tripod. The issue with this sigma lens is absolute real especially when subject is closed to MFD. 

 

 


He has begun turning off image/optical stabilization in recent videos.  This may be because I have suggested it to him, and challenged him to try it and see what happens.

As far as AF issues at or near MFD goes, that is another example of operator error on his part.  He is an amateur with a lot to learn.  He admits there is something that he may be unaware of.  I agree.

The MFD for the lenses he is using is only valid a minimum zoom settings.  When you zoom to longer focal lengths, then the real world MFD also becomes longer.  

If you notice, the AF issues go away when he backs up a little when he is using the maximum focal length.  That means he is ringing false alarm bells.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

Trevor,

Thanks for your reply. 
After much deliberation I bought the R7 thinking it might be the best do everything camera for my budget. I wanted to upgrade my bird photography to include birds in flight. And I am hoping to use its dynamic range to shoot birds and landscape in low light situations. I think of wide angle in the 18mm area. Finally, I plan on using the video capability for family events.

Denny

Hi Denny:

Thanks for your prompt response.   Alas, yours is a common cautionary tale of the need for researching all aspects of a brand change. 

Canon, like Nikon, have not unreasonably, held back on allowing 3rd parties to produce fully-compliant native RF lenses for their new bodies.  As I understand it, that is for a couple of reasons. 

The significant changes rendered by the new tech and especially lens interface mean that they did not want to have others produce for an evolving platform. Doing so would put those 3rd parties in a situation where the interface changed, undermining the effectiveness of their designs and compromising results.  There is a mutual benefit in 3rd parties gaining authorization from the OEM.

Secondly, and not unreasonably, they wanted to develop their own platform of native lenses to support their massive investment in creating a major platform shift.  Now, many have compared the availability of 3rd party lenses for Sony, so I went back and logged the release rates of 3rd party lenses for the Sony platform which began in 2010 (and is thus a much more mature market).  Third party lenses started with a trickle and did not become much more frequent until at least 5 years after the initial release.  Now, that would equate to more 3rd party lenses being seen for Canon and Nikon next year, which is possible.  However, their development was, and still is, impacted by the world-wide disruption from the pandemic, with bottlenecks in design, production and logistics that will impact both 3rd party and OEM manufacturers. 

Both Canon and Nikon have stated that they will support selected 3rd party lenses on a case-by-case basis, but in the meantime Canon is releasing a significant number of lenses, many at a lower price point, with 32 new designs on top of the current offering within the next few years.  There are suggestions that there are up to 8 new lenses pending release now.   I would not recommend discarding native lenses - Canon makes fantastic optics, and even their cheaper ones are of high quality and represent good value for money.  Superzoom lenses, like the 18-270 you referred to, come with quality compromises, especially on a focal range band that goes from wide angle to super telephoto.  You get what you pay for.

As to both lenses and body, the other significant (and arguably more important) question I will pose is: what do you intend to produce?  

For example, do you want to output for social media, digital display, make small-medium prints for personal consumption, large prints, or prints for sale?  Each of these poses different demands on the equipment you purchase.  For example, the bigger the prints, and higher the resolution, the more MP a sensor should be, while those images for social media and even digital display are going to be massively downsized significantly so one does not need a high MP sensor.

If you have read my rather lengthy response to my respected colleague Bill (Waddizzle), you will see that I concluded that within limits the R7 works well, so much depends on what you want the camera to do for you in terms of frame-rate.  As a wildlife shooter, I don't go for super high frame-rates: TBH I don't want to spend my life going through thousands of almost identical photos on a computer after shooting.  I prefer to shoot carefully and get a high keeper rate - but that is an individual thing.   I chose to go with the full-frame R6 bodies with their better build, battery grips, and focus + tracking system and, if necessary, I crop in by 1.3 or 1.6 factors in camera that reduce the Field of View, but reduce MP size and for my purposes that is absolutely fine - however, I am prepared to pay for that performance..

Some examples of BIF for the R6 tracking and IQ - remember these are all reduce to file sizes < 5MP:
Sigma 150-600c, 159mm, f/9, 1/500sec, ISO-100Sigma 150-600c, 159mm, f/9, 1/500sec, ISO-100  RF 100-500USM, 159mm, f/7.1, 1/400sec, ISO-100RF 100-500USM, 159mm, f/7.1, 1/400sec, ISO-100  Sigma 60-600s, 145mm, f/5.6, 1/200sec, ISO-100Sigma 60-600s, 145mm, f/5.6, 1/200sec, ISO-100  EF 70-300 IS USM MkII, 226mm, f/9, 1/640sec, ISO-100EF 70-300 IS USM MkII, 226mm, f/9, 1/640sec, ISO-100  EF 100-400MkII, 286mm, f/8, 1/640sec, ISO-200EF 100-400MkII, 286mm, f/8, 1/640sec, ISO-200


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

Trevor,

Thanks for your insights and examples. 
You are certainly getting some great results with the Sigma lens.

Could you explain further Canon’s rationale for developing the RF mount?

In answer to your previous post the final result for me is typically a printed 8x10 calendar distributed to family. For my non-commercial purpose the Tamron lenses worked fine. I was lured to Canon’s R7 by the autofocus system for the money.

Check out Canon's History of Lens Mounts which includes a short video on the new RF mount.

--
Ricky

Camera: EOS 5D IV, EF 50mm f/1.2L, EF 135mm f/2L
Lighting: Profoto Lights & Modifiers

Thanks.

The video was informative.

Denny

 

 

Thanks for your informative response!  As I see you have been well served by Ricky's video reference on the thinking behind the RF mount.

For your situation, from the point of producing an 8x10 calendar, almost any reputable brand will work for your purposes.  That said, I would honestly considering the following combination of lenses:
RF-S 18-150 IS USM lens.   A great walk-around unit that has a fast and silent ultra-sonic focusing system, Image stabilization that will work with that of the camera (a good reason for going with the Canon brand) and is very light and extremely compact, making it a very convenient lens to leave on your R7.  There is a reason Canon created this unit as a kit lens for the R7 and R10 bodies.   See Canon RF-s 18-150mm IS STM Review & Sample Images by Ken Rockwell

I can personally recommend the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary lens for EF mount. I have not owned Tamron's later version but my respected colleague Ernie (Ebiggs1) has positive things to say about it.  For a review of the lens and comparison of the two you might want to watch: 
(21) Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 OS Contemporary Super Telephoto Review - YouTube

Use it via the adapter (which works flawlessly) for your wildlife activities and you essentially have the range from 18mm to 600mm covered.  If you really want to stick with a 3rd party lens you can do so by getting one with an EF mount and using the Canon EF-RF adapter.


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

Trevor,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic. Real world experiences can be great lessons.

You're most welcome.  I hope you find a combination that works for you and gives you results that are satisfactory.


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

shadowsports
Legend
Legend

Trevor,

Well said.  I hope Denny can realize the tremendous value and potential he has with the R7.  Also the importance of investing in Canon's "shooting system" which I believe to be the best available.  Yes, I am a fan of Canon products.  They earned this respect and brand loyalty by providing a level of quality unmatched by other brands.

~Rick
Bay Area - CA


~R5 C (1.0.7.1) ~RF Trinity, ~RF 100 Macro, ~RF 100~400, ~RF 100~500, ~RF 200-800 +RF 1.4x TC, BG-R10, 430EX III-RT ~DxO PhotoLab Elite ~DaVinci Resolve Studio ~ImageClass MF644Cdw/MF656Cdw ~Pixel 8 ~CarePaks Are Worth It

Announcements